“Shut up.”
Scalding breath sprayed against the side of her neck.
Gu Shengsheng shivered violently. She shoved Shen Wang away with all her strength — but forgot he was still holding her neck. The motion yanked her forward, and she tumbled right onto him.
Her nose slammed into his collarbone. Pain shot through her; she kicked her legs wildly.
“Ow… it hurts! What are you doing?! Are you doing this on purpose? Always taking advantage of me!”
Shen Wang’s breathing was scorching, but his voice stayed ice-cold:
“Taking advantage of you? Didn’t you just look in the mirror?”
Gu Shengsheng almost burst into tears from his words. Anger surged up, giving her courage. She bravely pushed his hand away.
Shen Wang’s hand fell limply.
Only then did Gu Shengsheng, still lying on his chest, realize something was wrong.
“You’re burning up… you have a fever!”
She struggled out of his arms.
Shen Wang didn’t react. His body was scorching hot, lips cracked and dry, an ominous faint flush spreading across his pale cheeks.
Gu Shengsheng quickly poured another cup of water. She tried to push the straw into his mouth, but his jaw was clenched tight — no way to get the water in.
She stared at him helplessly and muttered:
“Do I have to feed you mouth-to-mouth?”
Shen Wang’s brow twitched. Suddenly, he opened his mouth and bit down on the straw.
Gu Shengsheng: “…”
Shen Wang drank about half the cup before letting the straw fall from his lips. His sexy throat moved as he swallowed. A low, hoarse sigh escaped him — and then he completely lost consciousness.
Gu Shengsheng touched his forehead and the side of his neck — both scalding hot.
Shen Wang didn’t dodge her hand. Instead, he unconsciously rubbed lightly against her cool palm.
Oh no, he’s delirious from the fever!
She had to find someone to help…
“Ahhh! What are you doing?! Madam, what are you doing to the young master?!”
A piercing scream rang out.
Gu Shengsheng looked up. A woman in her forties — a maid — stood at the doorway, staring at her in horror.
“You… oh no! The young master’s been strangled to death by Madam!”
The maid screamed and ran off.
“Hey…”
Gu Shengsheng was speechless.
Her hands were resting on Shen Wang’s neck. Combined with the original owner’s well-known malice toward him, it wasn’t surprising the servants misunderstood.
Gu Shengsheng looked down at the unconscious man and said helplessly:
“You have to help me explain this, okay?”
======
The servants crowded at the bedroom door, whispering among themselves.
Gu Shengsheng had been married into the Shen family for three months and had been full of resentment the whole time. Recently she had even driven away Shen Wang’s caregivers and refused to let any servants stay overnight in the villa. Her intention to become a widow was obvious to everyone.
Now she was saying Shen Wang fell by accident last night?
No ghost would believe her.
Gu Shengsheng couldn’t be bothered to explain.
“Who can help me carry Mr. Shen back to the bedroom?”
The moment she spoke, everyone instinctively took three steps back — as if they had seen a monster.
Gu Shengsheng was confused.
“What’s wrong?”
“Except for his personal caregiver, the young master never lets anyone near him to help. Last time a maid tried to wipe his face, he almost broke her arm…”
A maid called Zhou Ma spoke with a curled lip. The others nodded in agreement.
Gu Shengsheng had no choice but to say:
“The young master is in bad condition. Go get the doctor first! And bring some light, easy-to-eat food.”
No one moved.
Gu Shengsheng coldly looked toward the door and met Zhou Ma’s mocking gaze. Zhou Ma wasn’t flustered at all. With a fake smile that didn’t reach her eyes, she gave a perfunctory reply and led the group away.
Gu Shengsheng searched her memories. All these servants had been sent from the old Shen residence. Zhou Ma was especially Madam Shen’s confidante — her words carried more weight than Gu Shengsheng, the nominal Madam.
Gu Shengsheng turned back to look at Shen Wang.
His eyes were covered with bandages. His cold, pale face showed no expression at all.
For all these days, he had lived with a wife who constantly wished him dead and a group of servants who didn’t take him seriously. She couldn’t imagine how he had endured.
After a long while, there was a knock at the door.
Zhou Ma led in a doctor who looked to be in his forties.
The doctor asked:
“What happened to Mr. Shen?”
Gu Shengsheng said:
“He’s very weak and he fell from his wheelchair. Please check quickly and see if his legs were injured again.”
The doctor opened his medical bag, put on gloves, and began examining Shen Wang.
Shen Wang had already lost consciousness from the fever, yet his muscles were still tightly tensed, clearly resisting the doctor’s touch.
Gu Shengsheng held Shen Wang’s hand and spoke softly:
“The doctor is just checking your body. It’s okay.”
She didn’t know if Shen Wang heard her or not.
But the doctor gave Gu Shengsheng a surprised glance.
After a quick examination, the doctor said Shen Wang only had some superficial injuries. Some bruise ointment would be enough.
Gu Shengsheng let out a relieved breath. Thankfully his legs weren’t hurt again.
The doctor then took out a bottle of medicine and said:
“Madam, please hold Mr. Shen’s arm down for me.”
Looking at the needle glinting coldly, Gu Shengsheng’s scalp went numb.
“You still need to give him an injection?”
The doctor explained:
“This is a nutritional injection. Mr. Shen hasn’t been eating enough. He needs these to maintain his vital signs.”
Gu Shengsheng held Shen Wang’s hand and examined it closely.
The pale, slender back of his hand was covered in needle marks. Prominent blue veins stood out, looking quite alarming.
“During this time, he’s been getting nutritional injections every day?” Gu Shengsheng frowned. “Food from the five grains is what nourishes the body. If he doesn’t eat proper meals, how could his health possibly improve?”
Zhou Ma cut in with a smile:
“The kitchen sends food, but the young master simply won’t eat it. Besides, Madam, didn’t you already know that before?”
Gu Shengsheng laughed in anger:
“You neglect taking proper care of the young master, and now you dare lecture me?”
Zhou Ma looked up — and met a pair of eyes as clear and sharp as autumn water. For some reason, her heart gave a sudden thud. All the words she had prepared died in her throat.
Today’s Gu Shengsheng seemed like a completely different person. The aura she gave off made Zhou Ma’s scalp tingle.
When Gu Shengsheng asked why no proper meal had been sent, Zhou Ma hurriedly replied:
“The kitchen is preparing it right now. I’ll go get it at once!”
The doctor, seeing the situation, simply prescribed some medicine, instructed Gu Shengsheng to make sure Shen Wang took it on time, and then left.
After the doctor was gone, Gu Shengsheng spoke to Shen Wang seriously:
“Don’t worry. I won’t let them give you any more injections.”
After a pause, she added:
“Your hands are so beautiful. It’s such a waste to have them ruined like this with all these needle holes.”
Shen Wang: “…”
His long brows furrowed slightly. His expression remained indifferent.
Gu Shengsheng felt an itch in her heart — she really wanted to see what his eyes looked like under the bandages. But she only lightly brushed her fingers over the edge of the bandage and then touched his forehead.
It was still burning hot.
The doctor hadn’t even given him a fever-reducing injection earlier. How could he recover like this? Gu Shengsheng looked at Shen Wang with deep worry.
A knock came at the door:
“Madam, the food is here.”
Gu Shengsheng lazily asked:
“What dishes did they make?”
Zhang Ma led the other maids in and set the food on the table by the window, lifting the covers one by one.
On the table were kung pao chicken, braised pork knuckle, crispy fried yellow croaker, stir-fried mushrooms with greens, and chilled lotus root slices.
Honestly, the dishes were all home-style and appetizing.
But they were either greasy, spicy, or considered “heating” foods — none of them suitable for a sick person.
The smile on Gu Shengsheng’s lips didn’t fade, but her eyes turned cold:
“Didn’t I say to prepare something light and easy to digest for Mr. Shen?”
Zhou Ma pursed her lips.
Another maid quickly spoke up:
“There’s also a bowl of top-grade bird’s nest specially made for the young master.”
“He needs real food. What good is bird’s nest alone?”
Seeing that there was still nothing suitable, Gu Shengsheng said:
“Then let’s feed him some of this for now.”
Gu Shengsheng went to wash her hands.
When she came back, she heard Zhou Ma saying:
“This is the finest bird’s nest — stewed all morning. You should at least have a little, tsk…”
Gu Shengsheng looked over carefully.
Zhou Ma was standing quite far from the bed, stretching her arm out as far as possible. The spoon was pressed against Shen Wang’s lips, forcing the bird’s nest into his mouth.
Shen Wang, still unconscious, frowned tightly. His pale lips were pressed together. A lot of the bird’s nest had already dripped down the corner of his mouth.
Gu Shengsheng’s anger flared.
She rushed over and shoved Zhou Ma aside:
“What are you doing?!”
Zhou Ma stumbled and raised her voice:
“Aiyo! Madam, why are you pushing people?!”
Gu Shengsheng grabbed some tissues and carefully wiped the spilled bird’s nest from Shen Wang’s collar and neck.
The scent of the bird’s nest was faint. Gu Shengsheng sniffed lightly at the tip of her nose, then suddenly turned and stared at Zhou Ma:
“What exactly did you feed the young master?”
“Bird’s nest, of course!” Zhou Ma looked smug and boasted:
“This is the premium bird’s nest sent from the old residence! I personally watched it being stewed. He gets it every single day!”
Gu Shengsheng raised an eyebrow, sounding very interested:
“Who stewed it? Bring it over — let me see.”
Zhou Ma handed the bowl over with a hidden sneer.
Typical small-family upbringing — one look at a bowl of bird’s nest and she couldn’t walk away.
Gu Shengsheng only glanced at it before raising her voice:
“You have ten minutes. Pack your things and leave immediately.”
Zhou Ma was stunned:
“Madam, what do you mean by that?”
Gu Shengsheng didn’t waste words. She rang the bell to call the other servants:
“Zhou Ma is fired. Watch her pack her luggage. Make sure she doesn’t take anything that belongs to the Shen family.”
This was a direct accusation that Zhou Ma had sticky fingers.
Zhou Ma trembled with rage:
“What did I do wrong? On what grounds are you firing me?”
“On the grounds of this bowl of bird’s nest!”
Gu Shengsheng picked up the spoon and stirred it. The liquid was clear as water, with only thin strands of bird’s nest floating inside.
“Look at this. What’s wrong with this bird’s nest?”
A flash of panic crossed Zhou Ma’s face, but she quickly smiled:
“What could possibly be wrong with it?”
Gu Shengsheng said again:
“Really? I’ll give you one more chance. Think carefully before you answer.”
Zhou Ma relaxed completely and sneered sarcastically:
“Madam, my eyes aren’t blind.”
The other servants snickered.
“Insolent!”
Gu Shengsheng flicked her wrist. The porcelain bowl flew straight toward Zhou Ma’s face, grazing her cheek before smashing against the wall and shattering into pieces.
Zhou Ma’s face was splashed with hot bird’s nest. The surrounding servants were also caught in the splash and stood there with mouths agape, looking utterly ridiculous.
The Shen family was an aristocratic household. The madams and young ladies were all gentle and delicate — who had ever seen one act so directly?
Gu Shengsheng’s almond eyes were icy:
“You dare serve watered-down bird’s nest to fool the family, and you still have the nerve to talk back. While the young master is ill and can’t deal with you, you’ve even forgotten who is the master and who is the servant?”
The bowl did indeed contain high-quality bird’s nest — but Gu Shengsheng could tell with one sniff that a large portion had been secretly eaten, then refilled with hot water. No wonder Shen Wang refused to drink it.
The more Gu Shengsheng spoke, the angrier she became:
“I was going to leave you some dignity. Since you don’t want it, we’ll just call the police.”
Zhou Ma panicked for a second before sneering:
“Call the police for what? Even if I drank one bowl of your bird’s nest, is that enough to get the police involved?”
Gu Shengsheng gave a cold smile:
“You openly steal and dilute bird’s nest to fool the family. Who knows how much you’ve secretly pocketed behind our backs?”
Zhou Ma’s face twitched.
The other servants looked at her with glee, whispering among themselves.
Everyone knew the Shen family kitchen received fresh ingredients daily. Those expensive tonics went untouched — and Zhou Ma had been skimming plenty of profit from them. Every day, she would eat the best portions of the prepared food and supplements first, then bring the leftovers to the young master and madam.
If Gu Shengsheng really called the police… wouldn’t she be finished?
Chapter 4: “Do I Have to Feed You Mouth-to-Mouth?” (continued)
Zhou Ma finally lost her bluster. Cold sweat dripped down her back. She didn’t dare meet Gu Shengsheng’s eyes. Shouting that she would “go back to the old residence and demand justice from Madam,” she slunk away in disgrace.
After all, she belonged to the old residence — Gu Shengsheng had no real power to fire her!
The remaining servants fell deathly silent.
Gu Shengsheng swept a cold gaze over them:
“Anyone else who doesn’t want to stay can leave with her. I won’t stop you. But if you cause trouble after today, it won’t be so simple.”
The servants immediately perked up, each calculating their own little plans.
The two masters of the villa: one was a dying invalid barely clinging to life, the other a bankrupt girl sent here for a good-luck marriage. Who knew when Shen Wang might finally stop breathing — then they’d all be out of jobs.
But Zhou Ma worked for Madam Shen and the second young master. If they pleased Zhou Ma, they could still find work at the old residence.
With that thought, the servants scattered like startled birds in an instant.
Gu Shengsheng stared in shock:
“They actually left…”